From Rituals to Robots: Africa and the Human Future of Medicine

Medicine can change the body. Who will protect the person?From medicinal plants and ancient medical archives to gene editing, artificial intelligence and robotic care, the history of medicine is also a story of knowledge, power and the struggle to relieve suffering.In From Rituals to Robots: Africa and the Human Future of Medicine, Tanzanian researcher and lecturer Dr Zawadi Ally Nkulikwa places Africa at the centre of this unfolding story. He explores how healing practices develop, how medical authority is won and contested, and how scientific advances become meaningful in the lives of the people they are meant to serve.The stakes emerge through documented histories: the struggle to return Sara Baartman's remains; the search for HIV prevention in South Africa; and Victoria Gray's experience of gene editing for sickle cell disease. Each brings discovery into contact with difficult decisions about dignity, consent, risk and access. Each reveals why the consequences of medical progress extend far beyond the laboratory.Moving between history, science and ethics, the book examines indigenous medical knowledge, colonial legacies, genetics, digital surveillance and the expanding possibilities of medical technology. It asks how communities can protect shared knowledge, how patients can retain a voice in increasingly technical systems, and how innovation can reach those who need it.Throughout, Nkulikwa distinguishes established evidence from emerging research and speculation, offering readers a grounded way to assess medical promises. His central argument is that progress depends on the relationships and institutions that turn knowledge into dependable care.Written for curious readers, health professionals and students, From Rituals to Robots offers an African-centred perspective on questions that will shape the future of healthcare-and the experience of everyone who depends on it.As medicine gains new powers, what must remain human?